Drawing with Light
by chewing-gum-addicted
Summary: Lois Lane sees front pages of Superman on the news. Dark-ish AU inspired by Jor-El's quote "He'll be a god to them."


Because the corruption of super-heros is always fascinating. Felt that the Man of Steel universe was always more bleak in many ways so not entirely impossible ;) Naturally I do not own anything.

AN: The title is an allusion to the word "photography". Formed by the Greek roots φωτός (phōtos), "light" and γραφή (graphé), together meaning "drawing with light".

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Lois is walking down the streets of Metropolis when the newsstand catches her eye. It's him. Superman plastered on the front page in a grainy photograph depicting him hovering above a bridge. She has plenty of photographs of him at home. It's a motley collection of her photography, news clippings, assorted snaps and family albums, which Lois has collected over the years. She no longer saves photos of him these days. She never thinks of the stacks of pictures that lie in the back of her closet. But the newsstand brings back the images. It's strange how tender the action was, once scissoring out those articles, smiling to herself as the image was freed. How strange and naive that Lois Lane was. Seeing the news today brings only a bad aftertaste, thinking of her past self, all of them actually- her, humanity, Clark, and ultimately Superman.

At first, right after battle against General Zod, when Clark made those first real entrances on the world stage it's all so startling new. He allows humanity to see Superman unveiled and moves beyond hushed rumors on the Internet and strange conversations in the Pentagon. He is out in the open now. Big newspapers and networks write, photograph, analyze, film and talk endlessly of him. In an age of cellphones any bystander may capture his actions, those deeds so utterly not of this world. It's for everyone to marvel at. Or to fear.

In those early days, when the Superman persona is in its infancy, he is still innocent, yet everything powerful and frightening and dreadful. That blue form hovering, tense and uneasy beneath the glassy gaze of the cameras, with all of those photographers queuing to capture him. She remembers his reserve and the hint of skittishness in his eyes. Clark took to almost habitually turning away from the photographer's probing. Turning away as if he sensed the fear and burning curiosity humans felt for him piercing those lenses, and despite all his might wished to hide from it.

The smiles come later, a small curve, a bashful gesture of unsure friendliness trying to ease humanity- trying to reassure their justifiable fears and doubts of his absolute alienness. She admires that kindness, this small attempt to soothe humans after performing feats beyond any human ability. Such as preventing the rocket launch. After that incident everyone wanted interviews with him. The smile is to convey his sympathy, that he understands how strange it is for humans to see his abilities. It's a gentle acknowledgement in the interviews, a reassuring smile with the underlying message " _Yes, I do have the capacity to destroy human civilization but I am friendly and I'll answer the journalists' questions with patience and transparency._ " Yet there are signs of shyness in the smile, stemming from either the awkward gratitude or morbid curiosity people have towards him. Clark was modest despite his greatness. He never sought the limelight then, though it pursued him relentlessly.

The smiles grow bolder over the years, his strange youth lasting- neither earthly time or nature will ravage his features. There is a charm now, an ease in his grace and power. There is certainly benevolence in that capable and handsome face of his. Many people expect his exertions in the affairs of mankind. A calming force, preventing human conflict escalating as no mortal nation or army could stop him. Others pray for his interventions, and _to_ him, to his person. He has always had his followers, those who see his power and mercy and are blind to his humanity, seeing only what Superman is, and not any part Clark Kent. Initially when she tells him of it, he is somewhat taken aback by notion of followers with their zealotry and how quickly it sprung up in his wake. However at this stage he's getting used to it, accepting it as a part of human nature to need comfort and he smiles wryly but kindly at their childlike devotion.

At the end, when they no longer speak to each other, as their ideals over the years diverge, irreconcilable and irreparable she no longer collects photographs of him. She still sees them. One can hardly avoid them, as they are always on the news though one could hardly count it as "news" these days, scarcely better than indoctrination in disguise. There is no analysis attached to those photos, those snaps of him in action, intervening and victorious everywhere. Generations of children have been born to a world where Superman has always existed, and the Kal-El cults growing bigger every year.

There is a new aloofness in his gaze, almost contemptuous as he stares straight at the lenses. His face is noble, but she cannot help but to think his nobility has been diminished in some ways. Lois is almost relieved that Martha is no longer among them; it would have a great grief for her to witness her son's change from what he once was to whatever Superman is now, and will become. Perhaps he has become more true to his Kryptonian nature, with all their greatness and failings. But Lois tries not to dwell on the past and she walks by the newsstand. In the corner of her eye she glimpses those front pages graced with that smiling visage which is bearing down upon the pedestrians. There is an arrogant tilt to his smile. That mouth she once used to kiss has utterly changed to something terrible- beautiful, but terrible nonetheless. All those probing cameras have in the end become nothing but vessels to convey his promise. Photography is in itself nothing more than photons translated through glass. Yet it has replicated his alien fairness for the world to see, that fairness which is tempting and yet dreadful in its implication. In that gaze is his promise to become godlike to mankind.

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Thanks for reading :)


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